The Board granted service connection for right and left lower extremity neuropathy, as well as an effective date of August 21, 2020, for the award of service connection for a depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder and unspecified sleep-wake disorder.
The deciding factor: The evidence was at least evenly balanced to support a finding that the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity neuropathy is related to his exposure to herbicide agents while stationed on the DMZ in Korea, and he has continuously pursued the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder since August 21, 2020.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder and unspecified sleep-wake disorder (acquired psychiatric disorder), left lower extremity neuropathy, right lower extremity neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25020600
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 948 · Granted: 52% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25020600.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for left hip arthritis, right hip arthritis, type II diabetes, right lower extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity neuropathy, and sleep apnea as they have become service-connected in other rating decisions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has identified issues for remand related to service connection claims and effective date determinations. The appellant's appeal includes multiple conditions, including a headache disability, left ankle and foot disabilities, low back disability, knee degenerative joint disease (DJD), neuropathy, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.,The Board is directed to address the issues of service connection for these conditions and determine appropriate effective dates.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2 and associated neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities are granted with a 60 percent disability rating, effective October 21, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, finding no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service and noting that the Veteran's current symptoms are not related to his military service.
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